


When Cupid's Arrow Misses (Or Does It?)

by seungminish



Category: ITZY (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Archer Hyunjin, Baseball Player Seungmin, Baseball Player Yeji, Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, He's also very very oblivious, High School, Hwang Hyunjin & Kim Seungmin are Best Friends, Hwang Hyunjin is Whipped, Love Confessions, M/M, Seungmin and Hyunjin are confused gays, Seungmin and Yeji are Best Friends, Siblings Hwang Hyunjin & Hwang Yeji, Twins Hwang Hyunjin & Hwang Yeji, Yeji is tired of seeing them pine over each other, because I love hwang twins, but so is seungmin so it's okay, seungjin superior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-26 18:30:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20394229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungminish/pseuds/seungminish
Summary: “Hey, you dropped your pencil,” A voice spoke out from beside him, and Seungmin turned towards Hyunjin, a sob threatening to escape his throat that Seungmin successfully managed to swallow down. “Seungmin? Hello? Your pencil?” Seungmin’s eyes met Hyunjin’s, and while Hyunjin looked at Seungmin in confusion as he held his pencil out towards him, it was then that Seungmin wondered why he had never seen it before.Everything made sense. Why he felt like this when he was around the twins before, why he never felt anything when he was with Yeji even though he was alone with her, why he had felt so hurt and lonely without Hyunjin. It all made sense; after all this time, he finally realized that it was never Yeji that he had feelings for.It was, and always had been, Hyunjin.. . .Seungmin makes a mistake, and it takes a toll on his and Hyunjin's friendship.





	When Cupid's Arrow Misses (Or Does It?)

“You’re gonna love it here, Seungmin, I’m sure of it! I know it’s not like our old town, but this is just as nice. There’s even a baseball field right outside our house!” Seungmin’s mother encouraged, gliding a scissor through the tape of a cardboard box that held the kitchenware. Ten-year-old Seungmin, not impressed at all, sat with his back against the wall, his tiny legs spread out as he crossed his arms angrily. His mother let out a sigh and put the scissor down, walking over to Seungmin and sitting next to him. “Hey, I know it’s a big change moving here. But just give it some time, okay? I’m sure you’ll grow to like it,” she said softly, patting her son’s head softly.

Seungmin looked up at her with an angry pout, but soon enough his expression slowly morphed into a sad, teary face. He clung to his mother’s shirt, burying his face into the fabric and sobbing softly. His mother combed her fingers through his hair, pressing her head against his. “I know, I know. I miss our old home, too,” she said softly, before an idea appeared in her mind. “Hey, what do you say about going to the baseball field next to us right now? It’ll help you feel better, for sure. We can play catch!” Seungmin looked up at her with glistening eyes, sniffling before nodding slowly. “That’s my Seungmin. Come on, let’s go,” she said excitedly, taking his hand and standing up together with him.

That was how Seungmin ended up in the baseball field, throwing baseballs to his mother, who desperately tried to catch them but ended up missing and laughing. “You’re too good for me, Seungmin.” Seungmin beamed proudly, flashing a toothy, wide smile. “Come here, let Mom give you a hug,” she said, stretching her arms out towards him. Seungmin ran towards her, enveloping her in a happy hug. “One day, I bet you’re going to be a baseball superstar,” she said softly, pushing the stray hair out of Seungmin’s face. 

_ A baseball superstar_? Seungmin’s eyes widened, and his fists clenched excitedly. He had always thought of baseball as a fun game to play, but he’d never considered it professionally. But now that the idea was there, he couldn’t get enough of the possibility. As small as he was, he took baseball very seriously—from then on, he came to the field everyday when the teams weren’t practicing. He didn’t care for how sweaty he was, or the judging looks he got from the older, better players. He kept at it, consistently practicing and observing professional players’ techniques.

One day, however, a sudden wave of exhaustion came over him, and he fell back on the grass, looking up at the burning sun briefly as sweat trickled down his face. He couldn’t quite feel his legs as he laid there. But it felt good to just relax, so he let his eyes close as he laid spread-out on the ground. 

“You’re gonna overwork yourself if you keep at it like that, you know. Well, you will if you haven’t already,” a voice came from above him, and Seungmin’s eyes fluttered open to lay his eyes on the individual. “It’s… refreshing to see someone practice so much, but you have to make sure you regulate just how much you practice, you know,” the voice said, and Seungmin noticed a hand outstretched toward him. “Come on, get up.”

Seungmin took it, lifting himself up off of the ground and brushing off his shorts and plain blue t-shirt. It was then that Seungmin really _ looked _ at the person who had been scolding him. The first thing he noticed was that they were pretty—scratch that, they were _ really _pretty, and he couldn’t stop a blush from passing over his face. The second thing he noticed was that they were wearing a pitcher’s glove in one hand and a baseball in the other. 

The last thing he noticed was that the person was a _ girl. _

“Hwang Yeji. I live next to you,” she said, making Seungmin raise an eyebrow at her. “Don’t look at me like that,” she scoffed. “I see you come here everyday and practice tirelessly. With no technique, might I add. It’s hilarious,” she said with a smile, and Seungmin looked down from embarrassment. “But I like your dedication. It’s rare to see around here,” she said softly, pounding her fist into her glove.

“Uh… thanks?” Seungmin replied slowly, and now it was Yeji’s turn to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, uh, sorry. I’m Seungmin. Kim Seungmin,” Seungmin said a bit awkwardly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He looked down at the baseball in her hand again, and then looked back at her. “Why do you…?” 

“Have a baseball when I should have a softball like girls are supposed to have? Because, Seungmin-ssi, I plan on joining Korea’s men’s baseball team in the future so people can take me seriously. I’m quite the pitcher, I think,” she said with a glint in her eye. “Care to bat for me?”

“...Sure,” Seungmin said with a shrug, picking up his metal bat and walking to the batter’s box. “Try me, Hwang,” he said challengingly, feeling (somewhat) sure he could hit it. 

“Gladly,” she said, smirking before kicking the pitcher’s mound lightly. Seungmin focused as he watched as she held the ball behind her head before lifting a leg up and throwing the ball. Seungmin watched the ball before swinging, confident he would hit it before feeling his bat not come into contact with anything and hearing a _ clang _ against a metal fence.

“Hold on, how—?” He said, looking back at the metal fence that stopped the ball. “I was sure that was a straight fastball. I was going to hit it,” he said in disbelief, looking at his bat and then at Yeji. “How did you do that?” Seungmin said with wide eyes, and Yeji laughed in response.

“Practice and a little twist. A magician can’t give up her secrets, Seungmin-ssi,” Yeji said with a mischievous smile and a wag of her finger. Seungmin sighed and swung his bat over his shoulder, a pout on his face. “Don’t be so sad, Seungmin-ssi. You’ll get it soon enough. I mean, your form was good. Your time was just off by a little bit,” she said, brushing back loose strands of hair from her face. “You have potential.” 

“Potential,” Seungmin repeated to himself, albeit a little sulkily. “Thanks, I guess.” His response elicited a chuckle from Yeji, and he looked at her with squinty eyes. 

“No, it’s just… You remind me a little bit of my twin brother, Hyunjin. Well, not really, because you’re way more intelligent from what I can tell,” she said with a laugh. “But he gets sulky when he thinks he’s not satisfied with himself, even though he usually _is _pretty good at whatever he does. An idiot, that one is,” she said, letting out a puff of air. “Don’t _ever _tell him I told you I think he’s usually good at whatever he does, though.”

“...Noted,” Seungmin said, feeling a bit confused. He didn’t quite understand why this girl was talking to him so much, but it was a comfortable feeling. “He seems like… quite the character,” Seungmin said a bit lamely, but he _ did _think it was true. He could only imagine what the male version of Yeji was like; was he just as talkative? 

“He’s something else, that’s for sure,” she replied with a snicker. “In fact, there he is now. _ Oi! Hwang Hyunjin! _ ” She yelled to somewhere behind Seungmin, and Seungmin turned around to see a figure standing in front of the metal fence. The male turned to look at Yeji, the baseball she had thrown earlier now in his hand. “I _ told _you not to follow me, didn’t I?” She asked a little angrily, crossing her arms. 

Seungmin observed as the male came closer, tossing the ball up and catching it in his hand a few times. As he came closer, Seungmin noticed something strange: he was just as pretty, if not _as pretty _as Yeji. The young male felt a strange thump in his heart when Hyunjin smirked and threw the ball back to Yeji, standing next to Seungmin with his hands in his pockets. “I could _never _leave my precious little sister alone. I’m such a good big brother, right?”

“Shut up, we’re only nine minutes apart. You’re only following me so that you can snitch on me leaving the house to Mom,” Yeji hissed, glaring at her twin brother. “Well guess what? Snitches get stitches,” she said, her lips slowly curling up into an evil grin as she took her glove off of her hand and punched the palm of one hand with the fist of the other. All Seungmin knew was that one moment, Yeji was rolling up her sleeves and the next, she and Hyunjin were fighting on the ground. 

“Wait, wait, stop! Don’t fight,” Seungmin intervened, pushing the two apart from each other. He didn’t really know if he should have intervened because it was _ their _business, but he did and now he was standing in between two scratched up, sweating Hwang twins. 

“Who the heck are you?” Hyunjin said a little breathlessly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and looking at Seungmin with a raised eyebrow. Seungmin was about to speak when the taller male suddenly yelped and clutched the back of his head from pain. “_Ow! _ What was that for?” He asked angrily, looking at his sister with a glare.

“Don’t be rude. He’s our neighbor, and his name is Kim Seungmin. Show him some respect, idiot. Or is the word ‘respect’ not in your very limited vocabulary?” She said with crossed arms and a raised brow. “I’m so sorry about him. He’s not always- actually yeah, he’s _ always _like this. Just give him a good whack on the head if he ever bothers you, or call me and I’ll do it for you,” Yeji said, holding up a fist. 

Seungmin made a mental note in his head to never make Yeji angry. “No need for that,” he said quickly, looking at Hyunjin. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said softly, holding his hand out to Hyunjin. But instead of shaking it, Hyunjin looked at him with wide eyes, as if really _ looking _at Seungmin. Seungmin wasn’t quite sure how to feel as Hyunjin analyzed him, as if to test him or something. He thought he saw Hyunjin’s eyes soften a bit before hardening again, and the taller male looked down and kicked the ground. 

“Sure, whatever,” he said, not looking at Seungmin as he turned around and trudged away. Seungmin realized that Hyunjin didn’t shake his hand, and he pulled it back from embarrassment. 

“Ignore him, Seungmin. You didn’t do anything wrong; he’s just moody for some reason.” Yeji said beside him, as if reading his mind. Seungmin turned towards her, shrugging his shoulders and letting out a sigh. “Besides, you have me, right? We don’t need him,” she said before beginning to rant about something or the other. Seungmin didn’t quite hear it though, because her voice had been drowned out by the sound of his thoughts. Did Hyunjin not like him? Had he done something wrong? He shook his head, forcing himself to forget about it by looking at Yeji and smiling as he listened to her talk about her dreams of playing professional baseball. 

He didn't see the blush that covered the taller boy's cheeks. 

. . .

“I’m going to try archery,” Hyunjin announced to Seungmin when they were fifteen, and Seungmin peeked up at him from the book he was reading. The two had grown close over the years, and were practically inseparable. Seungmin was like Hyunjin’s rock; Hyunjin would always confide in Seungmin, and Seungmin would always listen to his worries and treat them as if they were his own. And Hyunjin was Seungmin’s comfort and safe space; Hyunjin knew him so well and supported him in all of his endeavors. Even _ Yeji _ began to grow a little jealous of the time they spent together, even though most of that time was spent _ with _her. Now, though, Yeji wasn’t there with them because she was on a date with her boyfriend. 

“I mean, you and Yeji have baseball, right? And you’re both so good at it,” he said almost a little sadly, and Seungmin put down the book he was reading to listen. “I just thought… I want something I can be good at, you know? Something I can love and feel proud of myself for, just like how you both have baseball. It’s a silly thought, I know,” he finished with a sigh, pulling his legs up to his chest and resting his head on them. 

“It’s not silly, Jinnie. And you’re good at a lot of things. You’re good at dancing, you’re good at rapping, you’re good at making others feel happy—the list goes on. What I’m saying is that I think you’re good at a lot of things, but if you want to try something new… go for it,” Seungmin said, pausing before slowly lacing their fingers together and looking at Hyunjin. “I think you’ll be great at whatever you try.” 

Seungmin felt his heart soar when Hyunjin’s sad pout morphed into a happy smile, his eyes turning to crescents. “Thanks, Minnie,” he said softly. “You always know what to say.” Hyunjin scooted over next to Seungmin, laying his head on the younger’s shoulder. Seungmin could feel his heart pounding out of his chest, and he picked up his book again to begin reading again and ignore the weird feeling in his heart. 

After that encounter, Seungmin went with Hyunjin to watch his first few archery practices. Seungmin watched as Hyunjin attempted again and again to hit the target, but failed miserably and gripped his new bow tightly as he bit his lip as if to stop himself from crying. But he couldn’t, and Seungmin watched with worry as Hyunjin ran into the locker with tears streaming down his face. Seungmin entered the locker room to see Hyunjin sitting down on a bench, hunched over and holding his face in his hands. 

Seungmin didn’t say anything as he sat down next to him, taking his hand and holding it tightly. They must have been there for at least half an hour, with Seungmin holding Hyunjin’s hand and Hyunjin’s face buried into Seungmin’s shoulder as tears streamed down his face. Neither of them said a word as they stood up together when Hyunjin stopped crying, hands intertwined as Seungmin led Hyunjin out of the locker room. As they walked home, Seungmin finally built up the courage to speak. “It’ll get better, you know. _ You’ll _get better. You just need to practice,” he said softly, glancing sideways at Hyunjin’s face. Seungmin could tell it was puffy from his tears, even though half of his face was covered. 

“Yeah,” was all he said in response, his voice a little raspy and choked up. “I’ll get better.” 

And he did. Not even a few months later, at the end of their last year of middle school, Hyunjin won his first local archery tournament, and he lifted his bow up in the air excitedly. He turned away from the target, his eyes passing by all of the cheering people in the crowd to land on Seungmin and Yeji. His eyes brightened up, and he smiled the crescent-eyed smile that Seungmin loved so much. He pumped his fist, a bright smile endowing his face all the way until he was given his trophy. 

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Hyunjin told him later when he, Yeji, and Seungmin were walking to their houses together. Seungmin’s eyes widened a little when Hyunjin intertwined their fingers together and smiled at him, because usually Seungmin would initiate that kind of thing. “So... thank you.” Seungmin blinked a few times at him, feeling a little bit speechless as Hyunjin looked at him with endearing eyes.

“Of course, my dear brother. No need to thank me. I know I’m wonderfully supportive,” Yeji interrupted before Seungmin got a chance to answer, pushing the two boys apart and breaking their interlocked hands so that she could throw an arm around each of their shoulders. There was a proud smile on her face as she flipped her hair dramatically. “Really, what would you _ do _without me, Hyunjin?” She said with a heavy hand on her heart, resulting in Hyunjin punching her lightly in the shoulder. 

“Shut up, Yeji,” Hyunjin said with a sigh, rolling his eyes as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “You _ wish _it was you,” he retorted, causing Yeji to stop and cross her arms as she looked at him. 

“Is that _ disrespect _ I hear? Oh, you’re _ asking _for it, Hyunjin. Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you won a competition,” she said, raising her fist at her twin, her gaze fiery and glinting with mischief. 

“Oh, please. _ You_? Maybe you could’ve landed a hit on me when we were younger, but I’m _ way _ stronger now, Yeji. You’re going _ down_,” Hyunjin said, cracking his knuckles and smirking at his sister. 

Seungmin watched the whole scene in bewilderment, a sense of nostalgia coming over him as he remembered the first time he met Yeji and Hyunjin. The two were fighting back then just like this, and they hadn’t changed even the slightest bit. It gave Seungmin a little comfort, knowing that things were almost just the same as before. The only thing that was different now, Seungmin noticed, was that his heart would beat unnecessarily fast when he was around the twins. His palms would get sweaty, his face would heat up, and his heart rate would speed up. 

It was only then that it dawned on Seungmin—the answer to why he’d felt that way when the three of them were together. It was the only explanation, he thought to himself. 

_ He liked Yeji_. 

. . .

Seungmin, after much contemplation, told Hyunjin just that at the beginning of their second year of high school. 

“Are you _ sure? _” Hyunjin asked after a little while, his gaze suddenly turning solemn as he looked at Seungmin with a raised eyebrow. 

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Whenever I was around you guys, I’d get… these weird feelings in my chest, you know? My palms would get all sweaty, and my heart would start racing, and-” Seungmin stopped suddenly, letting out a sigh. “I just… I might like her, Hyunjin, and I don’t know what to do,” his voice went barely over a whisper, and he was met with complete silence. “I don’t want to change what we already have.” Seungmin could only feel his heart beating faster and faster as silence passed over them. Seungmin bit his lower lip, fiddling with his fingers as he waited for Hyunjin’s response. 

“You won’t,” Hyunjin said after a few moments, not meeting Seungmin’s eyes as he got up from the bench that they were sitting at. He slung his bag over his shoulder, turning away from Seungmin and letting out a sigh. “So do whatever you want, I guess. See you around, Seungmin,” he said solemnly before walking down the sidewalk and away from Seungmin. 

_ Seungmin_? Hyunjin never called him that, Seungmin thought to himself, and he bit his lower lip. He should’ve expected a reaction like that, though. After all, Yeji was _ his sister_, so naturally brotherly instincts would kick in. Seungmin could only assume Hyunjin didn’t bubble with anger because Seungmin was, well… _ Seungmin_, and not just some random guy from school. With Yeji’s previous boyfriends, Hyunjin always had a sort of angry, protective aura around them. 

Seungmin hunched over the bench, burying his face in his hands as a sob threatened to escape his throat. Hyunjin had _ said _that nothing would change, but Seungmin couldn’t help but feel like something would, especially considering the suddenly cold aura Hyunjin had with him. 

Seungmin’s fears came to fruition later on when he entered Hyunjin’s classroom, carrying a box of strawberry pastries that the two loved to eat together. It was tradition that the two would sit together during lunch, sharing food and laughing together over something dumb that Hyunjin said. But that day, Seungmin’s eyes widened when he saw Hyunjin surrounded by a crowd of girls, his arms around one of them as he made a joke and everyone laughed. Seungmin ignored the painful pang in his heart as he tried to meet Hyunjin’s gaze to call him over. But when their eyes met, Hyunjin barely glanced at him for a second before resuming his conversation with the girls. 

Seungmin bit his lip, his heart racing painfully fast as he exited the room and shoved the uneaten pastries in his bag. _ Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did you tell him, Seungmin? _He thought as he walked to the location of the only other person who could make him feel better. “Yeji,” Seungmin called as he entered her classroom, forcing a sob back down his throat. She turned to look at him, her face brightening up when she saw him but contorting into a look of confusion and worry. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Yeji said as she walked toward him, and Seungmin couldn’t help but hate how Yeji knew him so well. 

“Hyu- Hyunj- he’s mad at me,” was all Seungmin could choke out before burying his face in her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her torso. Yeji let out a sigh and patted his back, leading him out of the classroom and placing both of her hands on his shoulders to hold him in front of her. 

“What happened?” 

“I told him something and now he won’t talk to me. But he _ told _ me everything would be fine, that _ nothing would change_-” He said surprisingly fast, his words beginning to jumble until they were simply a mixture of inaudible noises. “I messed up, Yeji,” he whispered, wiping his face with the back of his hand and sniffling. 

“Hey, look at me, Seungmin,” she said, and Seungmin’s eyes lifted to meet hers. “Hyunjin cares about you too much. He won’t stay mad for long, okay? Whatever you said to him wouldn’t be more important than his feelings for you. Give it time, and he’ll come back around,” she said confidently. “And if he doesn’t, I’ll punch him until he does,” she continued, raising a fist and making Seungmin let out a choked-up laugh. “So come on, lift your head up high. We’ve got a class to go back to,” she said, holding out her hand for Seungmin, who took it graciously. The two walked back to their classroom, and Seungmin couldn’t help but notice that his palms weren’t sweaty at all, and his heartbeat was scarily calm even though he was with Yeji. He assumed that it was because he had already let out so much emotion when he was crying, and now he was just… numb. 

Seungmin was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the pair of eyes looking sadly at Yeji and Seungmin’s intertwined hands as they disappeared from the walkway.

. . .

Much to Seungmin’s despair, Hyunjin _ didn’t _come around. Months passed by, and before Seungmin knew it, it had already been two years since Seungmin and Hyunjin had a proper conversation. Though Seungmin wasn’t quite sure if he would even count his conversation with Hyunjin about his feelings for Yeji a proper conversation, either. 

Seungmin couldn’t help but notice that being with Yeji didn’t make him feel the way he thought he did. He didn’t get sweaty palms or a fast heartbeat or a blushy face around her, and he was beginning to question if he ever had. But questioning himself only made himself feel worse about his conversation with Hyunjin, so he forced himself to not think about it. 

Seungmin hated the feeling of it, but he’d… gotten _ used _to not having Hyunjin in his life. Hyunjin was either at archery practice or going on dates or going to parties late at night, while Seungmin focused on baseball practice, student council, his studies and practically lived at cram school and the library. They hardly ever saw each other; Seungmin would only see Hyunjin very rarely whenever Seungmin was hanging out with Yeji and he happened to pass by. But even then, Seungmin was met with a cold stare (one that Seungmin realized he was beginning to return).

Seungmin tried not to think about it. After all, it was _ finally _nearing the end of his last year of high school, and he wouldn’t let himself stay hung up on old memories. He kept himself busy with all of his activities, so his mind was never really preoccupied with Hyunjin or how much he missed him anymore.

Well, not until he was assigned to work on a school project with Hyunjin himself.

Seungmin was never one to complain to his teachers about his partners, and now was no different. But Hyunjin was different, and he had no shame in talking to their teacher about changing groups. “Why do I have to work with him?” Seungmin had overheard Hyunjin saying to their teacher while he was leaving the classroom, and he ignored the painful pang in his heart. 

Seungmin stopped walking when he exited the classroom, biting his lip before standing next to the classroom door. He waited for a few moments before Hyunjin came walking out of the classroom, his hands shoved his pockets and a frustrated expression on his face. He stopped when he saw Seungmin standing in front of him, his gaze softening for a moment before it morphed back into the cold stare that Seungmin had grown used to seeing. 

“Look, I don’t want this any more than you do. But we’re stuck together, so let’s get this over with as soon as possible,” Seungmin said steadily. “My house. Five o’clock. I assume you still remember where it is,” he finished before turning around and walking away. He let out the breath he was holding, feeling relieved that he hadn’t broken down right then and there. He didn’t really know why at that moment he felt so sad, and everything he had tried to keep locked away was bubbling to the surface. 

_ It’s just a few days, Seungmin_, he tried to reassure himself. It wasn’t really a big deal, anyway; they were just two separate people who used to be close but now had different lives. It happened between people; Seungmin would be able to get over it in time. Besides, Hyunjin probably wouldn’t even show up, Seungmin thought, so he had nothing to worry about.

Seungmin was sure his thoughts were confirmed when he was sitting in his room at 5:03 p.m., without any sign of Hyunjin’s arrival. Seungmin sighed and adjusted his glasses before sitting down at his desk and opening his laptop. Even if Hyunjin wasn’t going to come, he might as well start on the research so _ he _could at least make sure the project went well. Seungmin wouldn’t let his relationship with Hyunjin prevent himself from performing at his best; his grades were more important than wallowing in sadness. 

Seungmin was taking notes and gently swaying his head to DAY6’s _ You Were Beautiful _ when a sharp knock on the door made him jolt. Seungmin took out his AirPods and placed them down on his desk, standing up to open the door. His eyes widened when he saw none other than _ Hwang Hyunjin _standing in front of him, backpack slung over his shoulder and hair pushed back messily as he looked at Seungmin. “Sorry I’m late. I was being held up by my archery coach,” he said apologetically, biting his lip. 

“No, no, it’s fine. I was just doing research, anyway,” Seungmin said, moving away from the door so he could sit back down on his desk. Hyunjin followed him, sitting down on Seungmin’s bed and stretching his legs out. Seungmin couldn’t help but think about how familiar this situation was; when they were younger, Hyunjin would always come over and complain about how much homework they had while Seungmin would sit next to him diligently doing said homework. “Have you even read the technical paper we’re supposed to analyze yet?” Seungmin asked to break the silence that had fallen between them, knowing that the younger Hyunjin never would have.

“Not… exactly,” he replied, his lips curling up into an apologetic smile. Seungmin rolled his eyes; Hyunjin was still just the same, and Seungmin didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. “What? It’s not exactly the most interesting thing to read,” Hyunjin tried to excuse himself, lying down on Seungmin’s bed and curling up against Seungmin’s pillow. 

“Read it right now, you idiot. If we’re going to be working together, I expect you to know at least the basics of what the paper says,” Seungmin said with an exasperated sigh, smacking the top of Hyunjin’s head with the paper before putting it down next to Hyunjin’s head. 

“_Ow! _ What was that for?” He whined, making Seungmin smile a little before he began to work on his notes once again. “Fine, geez,” he mumbled, sitting back up so he could read the paper and making Seungmin snicker quietly. He was _ acting _frustrated, but Seungmin could see the way his eyes were focused in on the paper, taking in every detail. Seungmin couldn’t help but feel warm; he was so worried about them being awkward or Hyunjin ignoring him, but he was relieved that they were okay in the moment.

Seungmin caught himself staring at Hyunjin every once in a while, and Seungmin realized that this was the first time that he was really _ looking _ at Hyunjin. Even when they were younger, Seungmin knew that Hyunjin was attractive, but now he couldn’t help but notice how much _ more _attractive he’d become. His features were much more sharp, and he’d lost all of his baby fat. His lips were thick and pretty, and his hair was messily attractive. The faint appearance of a dimple was apparent when Hyunjin bit the inside of his cheek, but Seungmin knew it grew much deeper whenever he smiled. 

Seungmin looked away as soon as he realized he’d been staring for too long, and his cheeks heated up from embarrassment. _ It’s nothing new, Seungmin. He’s always been that attractive, so why are you so aware of it now? _He halted, his eyes widening as he dropped his pencil next to his bed, an epiphany dawning on him. His fingers were shaking, his palms were sweating, his heartbeat was racing and he was blushing like crazy, and Seungmin knew all too well what it meant. 

“Hey, you dropped your pencil,” A voice spoke out from beside him, and Seungmin turned towards Hyunjin, a sob threatening to escape his throat that Seungmin successfully managed to swallow down. “Seungmin? Hello? Your pencil?” Seungmin’s eyes met Hyunjin’s, and while Hyunjin looked at Seungmin in confusion as he held his pencil out towards him, it was then that Seungmin wondered why he had never seen it before. 

Everything made sense. Why he felt like this when he was around the twins before, why he never felt anything when he was with Yeji even though he was alone with her, why he had felt so hurt and lonely without Hyunjin. _ It all made sense_; after all this time, he finally realized that it was never Yeji that he had feelings for. 

_ It was, and always had been, Hyunjin_. 

. . .

Seungmin didn’t quite know what to do with this information. He felt a whirlwind of emotion—guilt for ruining him and Hyunjin’s relationship over something that wasn’t even true, fear over what would happen, and relief because everything finally made sense. But he didn’t know what to do about it, because the last time he’d talked to Hyunjin about his feelings, Hyunjin had ignored him for two years. If Hyunjin was appalled by Seungmin liking his _ sister_, how would he feel about Seungmin liking _ him_? Seungmin was scared that Hyunjin would completely disregard his existence and never speak to him again. 

And Seungmin didn’t want to mess up what they’d had recently. While they were working on their project together the week before, it felt like the old times, when they’d just laugh and have fun together. Seungmin wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle ruining their relationship not _ once_, but _ twice_. 

But at the same time, Seungmin couldn’t keep his feelings to himself, so he turned to the only person he could tell: Yeji. 

“Do you remember what happened two years ago between Hyunjin and I?” Seungmin said suddenly one time when he was sitting with Yeji in her room. Yeji looked up from her phone’s screen to look at Seungmin, and she raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Yeah? What about it?”

“You know how I told you that I told _ him _ something that made him angry? And then he didn’t talk to me for two years?” He said with a gulp, clutching Yeji’s pillow to his chest and crossing his legs. Yeji simply looked at him with her raised eyebrow, as if waiting for him to go on. “I told him that- that I liked _ you, _” he whispered, looking down at his fingers. 

Yeji stared at him for a few minutes, and Seungmin took a deep breath, worrying that he’d upset Yeji. But a few moments later, Yeji burst into laughter, clutching her stomach and practically wheezing from the humor of the situation. “You’re serious? You told him _ that_? Oh, that’s hilarious, Seungmin. You never liked me in that way, that’s for sure,” Yeji said with a snort. “And before you say anything dumb, I know you well enough to know that you didn’t. When you’re with people you like, you get all sweaty and red,” she said with a snicker, and Seungmin simply stared at her. “It’s kind of gross, if I’m honest.” 

“Thanks a lot,” Seungmin replied sarcastically with a grunt, crossing his arms and looking away from Yeji. He found it kind of frustrating that Yeji knew him better than he knew himself. 

“No problem, Min. Now tell me, _ what _made you tell him that? Were you just teasing him? Trying to make him angry? I bet it was all a prank,” she said, chuckling. “If it was, it worked. He was furious for a good two years,” Yeji said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. 

“No! I was serious. I thought I liked you,” Seungmin said poutily, resulting in Yeji staring at him and bursting into laughter all over again. “It’s not funny! I mean, whenever I was around you two, I would get all sweaty and my heart would race and I’d blush a lot, so I thought I liked _ you_. But then after Hyunjin and I grew apart, I noticed that I never felt that whenever it was just you and me,” he said, his voice becoming quiet. “Nothing made sense to me until I was with him last week. I liked _ him _ this whole time,” he whispered, burying his face in his pillow.

“Are you- are you telling me you _ just now _ realized that you liked him?” Yeji piped up suddenly after a moment of silence before bursting into laughter _ yet again_. “Oh my _ god_, Seungmin. All this time I thought you were smart. Even a _ baby _could tell you were in love with him,” she said with a snort. “Seriously, you both are clueless,” Yeji muttered under her breath, and Seungmin could only wonder what that meant.

“But what do I do about it? It’s not like I can just… _ tell him_. We managed to get along somehow, and I don’t want to ruin it anymore than I already have,” he said with a sad sigh. 

“I think you should tell him,” Yeji said immediately, making Seungmin turn around to stare at her like she was crazy. “In my opinion, it’s better than keeping it in and regretting not doing anything, you know?” Seungmin turned away from her, leaning his head back on the wall and sighing at the prospect. 

“Yeah,” he said softly, looking up at the ceiling. He knew she was right, but he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming fear of the outcome of confessing. Seungmin’s thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in his shoulder, and he looked at Yeji with a glare. “What was that for?!?”

“You’re overthinking it, Min. You don’t need to be scared, you know. After all, if he ever does anything to hurt you, my fists and I will be at the ready to knock him into another universe,” she said confidently, holding her fists up and smiling mischievously. That made Seungmin laugh, and he shook his head furiously.

“No, no, don’t do that,” he said, the two of them laughing wildly together left Seungmin feeling much better than he had before and making a new resolve to do what he should’ve done two years ago: tell Hyunjin he liked him.

. . .

_ Hyunjin _

“I’ll see you later, guys. Sung, let me know how that date with Minho-hyung goes later, alright?” Hyunjin called out to his group of friends, snickering when he saw Jisung blush and shake his head furiously. 

_ “It’s not a date!” _ Jisung replied hurriedly, his cheeks on fire as Hyunjin walked away, laughing as he slung his quiver over his shoulder and held his bow in his left hand. He found it hilarious teasing Jisung, especially since Hyunjin knew Jisung and Minho were head over heels in love with each other but hadn’t built up the courage to confess to each other. 

It also reminded him a bit of himself, but he didn’t want to think about that. He was in a good mood, so what was the point in bringing up old memories and feelings that would only hurt him? 

Hyunjin hurried home, unlocking his house door and entering silently so that no one would hear him. He knew that his mom was probably taking a nap at the time, so he made sure not to wake her up whenever he came home. He sighed silently, taking off his shoes and walking up the stairs to go to his room. As soon as he reached the top, he began to hear loud laughs coming from a certain bedroom, and Hyunjin rolled his eyes. _Yeji_, he thought with annoyance. _Can’t she keep her voice down_ _for once?_

Hyunjin walked up to her room, about to tell her off when he stopped suddenly in front of the door. He felt his heart stop when he saw Yeji and none other than Kim Seungmin sitting next to each other, their backs against the side of Yeji’s bed as they sat on the floor. “No, no, don’t do that,” he heard Seungmin saying while they were practically _ dying _ of laughter, for what reason Hyunjin didn’t know.

Not that he _ wanted _ to know, anyway. Hyunjin felt his heart begin to race as old memories began coming back, and he stalked off to his room and shut the door behind him, sliding down against it and choking back a sob. He hadn’t forgotten the day Seungmin had told him that he liked Yeji, hadn’t forgotten how it shattered his heart in two because Hyunjin was _ desperately _ in love with Kim Seungmin and had been hiding it all along.

And he was _ still _hiding his feelings for him, because even after the past two years Hyunjin was still very much in love with Kim Seungmin, no matter how much he tried to avoid him. He knew it hurt Seungmin when he did, but it was the only thing he could think of in order to try and forget about him and his feelings for him. And he thought that maybe he had, until he worked with Seungmin on that damn project and the feelings he had locked away for so long came bubbling up to the surface. 

But then again, why wouldn’t they? Seungmin was as gorgeous as ever, with his soft brown hair and his shiny eyes and his pouty lips. It also didn’t help that he _ still _ wore clothes that were two sizes too big on him, making Hyunjin think about how Seungmin would look in _ his _ clothes. And having _ those _ thoughts would always translate to Hyunjin thinking about how Seungmin would look if Hyunjin kissed him senseless, how he would look pretty and breathy and red and whining for _ more- _

Hyunjin stopped his escalating thoughts right there before he went any further, his face turning a deep crimson from the secondhand embarrassment of his _ own _ thoughts. “Never again,” he muttered to himself, picking up his quiver and his bow and standing up again. He thought he could be strong, thought he could ignore his feelings and when he saw Seungmin again for the project, thought he wouldn’t be hurt when he saw Seungmin and Yeji together, but he was _ wrong_. 

So, so_ wrong. _

So he left his room, not daring to look back into Yeji’s room as he left the house to go to the nearest archery range. He had never told Seungmin, but his feelings of inferiority weren’t the only reason he decided to start archery. He also had done it then as a way to pass the time, to keep his mind off of his developing crush on the younger boy that had now, three years later, blossomed into a full-grown love. 

He reached the archery range, hastily scanning his membership card before going to the targets. He took a deep breath, focusing on the target in front of him and the bullseye, letting his mind flow to hitting the target and _ not _ Seungmin.

Then he drew his bow back, zoning in before letting go.

. . .

_ Seungmin _

Seungmin wasn’t sure if he was looking forward to his meeting with Hyunjin today. He’d messaged Hyunjin earlier about working on their project today at the same time as before, and Hyunjin had _ seen _ his message (but failed to reply, much to Seungmin’s despair). Seungmin could only hope that Hyunjin would come like before, but he never knew what to expect.

This time, Seungmin was even _ more _ nervous than the last time, because this time he was planning to apologize and tell Hyunjin his _ real _ feelings. Yeji had managed to convince him to do it (Seungmin never would have if the decision was left up to only him), so Seungmin had the _ resolve_, but was worried about the _ execution. _ Because clearly he wasn’t good at understanding his _ own _feelings, so how would he get them across to another person?

He was pacing back and forth in his room, the time nearing five o’clock and his heartbeat speeding up with every tick. He took a deep breath, sitting down on his desk and staring at the notebook full of notes from their last meeting. He began to click his pen, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling as he waited for the seconds to go by. Soon enough, five o’clock came, and Seungmin turned his chair around to face the door. He tapped the tips of his feet against the floor, biting his lip in anticipation and in wait. 

But that was all he did that day—anticipate and wait—because Hyunjin never came. 

Seungmin only realized that Hyunjin wouldn’t be coming at around seven o’clock, and he sighed before organizing their project materials and placing them on the side of his desk. What did he expect? _ One _regular interaction with Hyunjin didn’t mean they were okay; it was all just wishful thinking on Seungmin’s part that things would get better from there. For all Seungmin knew, Hyunjin was only acting regularly for the sake of manners. 

“I’m an idiot,” Seungmin said with a sad smile. “What was I thinking?” He whispered to himself, falling down onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling. Did he _ expect _ that things would be easy? That all he had to do was say _ I made a mistake, I love you _ and Hyunjin would automatically love him back? Seungmin’s life wasn’t a romance novel.

Seungmin curled into his blanket, pressing his face against his pillow as a single tear threatened to fall from his eyes. But Seungmin wouldn’t let it, because he didn’t deserve to cry. 

So instead, he laughed. Laughed at _himself_, because he was _so _pathetic. He talked to Hyunjin _once_ and was like this, when Hyunjin probably couldn’t care less about him. In Hyunjin’s eyes, he was probably just his ex-best friend that had a crush on his sister, while in Seungmin’s eyes, Hyunjin was the boy he had never realized he had grown to love over the years. 

Seungmin’s resolve to confess was beginning to waver, and fear began creeping back into his heart. Just because he and Hyunjin weren’t close anymore, he could never cope with the possibility of Hyunjin being _ completely _ out of his life, so was confessing worth it? Would he rather have Hyunjin hate him than completely disregard him from his life?

While he laid there, eyes welling with tears that would never fall and a heart beating impossibly fast for one boy, Seungmin decided _ yes_. 

. . .

_ Hyunjin _

“Have you talked to Seungmin lately?” 

Hyunjin looked up from his phone to look at the owner of the voice, Yeji, who was leaning against the doorframe of his room. “Not really. Why?” He asked, sitting up and somehow keeping his voice stable as he raised an eyebrow at her. 

“No reason. I just… he’s been sad for the past week. He hasn’t really been talking to me, either,” she said softly, letting out a sigh before walking over to Hyunjin’s bed to sit next to him. “And I’m worried about him, you know?” She continued, looking down at her lap.

“Okay, and what does that have to do with me?” He asked, his question coming out much harsher than he’d initially intended. Yeji turned her head to look at him, a surprised stare on her face. Hyunjin shrugged; it wasn’t like him and Seungmin were close anymore, so how was he supposed to react? 

“You guys have a project or something together, right? Could you at least talk to him?” She said with a sigh, leaning her head on the wall next to Hyunjin’s bed. “Maybe ask him if he’s okay?”

“Why do _ I _ have to do it? You’re closer to him than I am, anyway. Just go over there and ask him yourself,” he replied, venom dripping from his every word. He really didn’t mean to, but the jealousy that he kept locked away for two years was bubbling to the surface. He loved his sister, he really did, but it _ hurt _ knowing that she was the subject of Seungmin’s affection, and was much closer to him than he was. He knew it was petty, and that he should have supported Seungmin, but he just… _ couldn’t_. 

“What is your _ problem_?” Yeji said suddenly, making Hyunjin look at her with a somewhat shocked expression. “Seungmin is very likely sad over _ you_, Hyunjin. I’ve never seen him that sad over anything or anyone _ but _ you,” she continued, crossing her arms angrily. “You guys haven’t talked for over two _ years _ but he still cares about you so much for reasons I will never understand. Do you know how happy he was when you went to his house to work on that project even though you ignored him for so long? He was smiling for the next _ week_. He’s never even smiled like that with _ me_, his _ best friend_, Hyunjin. He only ever did that when he was with _ you_.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel special or something?” Hyunjin said with a cold laugh, even though his heart was overflowing with pain. He never wanted to _ hurt _ Seungmin; that was never his intention. He only wanted to _ avoid _him in hopes of getting over him. But that day, when Hyunjin went to see him, he realized he hadn’t gotten over him. Seeing Seungmin with Yeji after that only rubbed salt in the wound. 

Yeji simply remained silent for a moment before letting out a noise of frustration. “You’re insufferable,” she said coldly before getting up from Hyunjin’s bed. She began walking out of his room when she stopped at the door frame and looked back at him. “If you care about him, which I know you do, then talk to him. He deserves that, at the very least,” she finished before walking out.

Hyunjin sat silently by himself, guilt and and a sudden urge to see Seungmin overcoming him. He _ so, so _ wanted to hug the younger male and kiss him and reassure him that everything would be okay, that he loved him and that he could never even _ dream _ about intentionally hurting him. But he knew he could never do that, because how would Seungmin react? Seungmin, the boy who liked his _ sister_? Would he push Hyunjin away and call him disgusting? Would he look at Hyunjin with pity and say he couldn’t return his feelings, and that it would be better if they didn’t talk anymore? Would _ he _ be the one avoiding _ him _this time?

The possibilities were endless, and Hyunjin didn’t want to think about them. But he knew that Seungmin deserved some kind of explanation, yet _ how _could he do that without letting Seungmin know how he felt? A possibility emerged in his mind, and he got up from his bed, pulling a black hoodie over his white shirt and black joggers before exiting his room. His newfound plan was for the best, he tried to convince himself. 

He could deal with his feelings later.

. . .

“Is Seungmin home?” 

“Oh, Hyunjin! I haven’t seen you here in awhile, dear. Yes, he’s upstairs in his room. He’s not in the best of moods, though, but I’m sure you can fix that,” Seungmin’s mother said with a smile, moving away from the door to let Hyunjin in. Hyunjin forcibly smiled at her, muttering a small thank you before removing his shoes and walking up the stairs. His heart was beating a mile a minute when he knocked on Seungmin’s door, and his breath caught in his throat when the door creaked open. 

Seungmin looked at him with wide eyes, and Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice how sunken and tired Seungmin’s eyes were. “Can I… come in?” He asked slowly, fidgeting while Seungmin’s eyes analyzed him as if to wonder whether to let him or not. Eventually, Seungmin shrugged and moved away from the door, sitting on his bed and looking at Hyunjin. Hyunjin assumed this was an invitation to come in, so he sat on Seungmin’s desk chair and turned to look at him. 

“Yeji yelled at me and made me come here,” Hyunjin said with an awkward smile as he attempted to lighten the situation. “She’s as scary as ever,” he muttered, a glint of happiness appearing in his heart when Seungmin let out a small smile. “Do you remember when we were younger, she used to threaten to beat me up if I ever hurt you? She hasn’t yet, but she will soon, I think. Because I did. I did hurt you,” Hyunjin said, taking a deep breath as Seungmin looked at him with an expression Hyunjin couldn’t quite understand. “And… I owe you an explanation for that.”

“I guess I wasn’t… I wasn’t happy with the prospect of my _ best friend _ liking my _ sister_, you know? It was… a foreign concept to me, and maybe I felt a little betrayed,” he said with a gulp, looking down at his hands. This was for the best, Hyunjin tried to remind himself; Seungmin needed an explanation, but not the real one. “Though now that I think about it, I should have supported you. Because humans can’t control who they like, and if you liked my sister… I should have been okay with that. And this isn’t much, but… I’m sorry,” he whispered, apologizing for it and so many other things that Seungmin would never even know about. “And I know I’m stupid for thinking this will fix what we had, and I know it won’t but-”

“It was never Yeji,” Hyunjin heard a sob erupt from the other male, and his eyes widened to see tears welling up in Seungmin’s eyes. “It was never _ her_,” Seungmin continued, and Hyunjin stared at him in confusion. “I was so, so _ stupid_; I made a mistake and I ruined our friendship. It’s all my fault,” he said, beginning to wail as tears flowed down his cheeks. 

Hyunjin simply stared at Seungmin, not quite sure how to react. If he had expected a reaction from Seungmin, it definitely wasn’t _ this _. And what did Seungmin mean by it wasn’t her? Hyunjin couldn’t wrap his head around it as he looked at his ex-best friend. “No, it wasn’t your fau-”

“_B__ut it was_,” he said between sobs, burying his face in his hands. “It _ was _ my fault, Jinnie, and now you hate me and I don’t know what to do. I ruined us because I couldn’t understand my _ own _feelings properly-” He sniffled, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, looking at Hyunjin with teary, glassy eyes. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Minnie. It’s my fault; I should have never avoided you because of my own pettiness. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Hyunjin said, moving from the desk chair to sit next to Seungmin on the bed. “And I could never hate you. I care about you too much,” he said, choosing his words carefully as he looked at the crying boy. 

“You should hate me, though. I ruined our friendship and now I’m going to ruin whatever this is,” he said, his crying calming down as he sniffled softly. “I don’t want to lose you again, Jinnie, but it _ hurts _and I don’t know what to do,” he whispered, removing his hands from his face. 

“You won’t lose me, Minnie. I won’t ever leave your side again; I was wrong to do that in the first place,” Hyunjin said, albeit a little hesitantly, before gently taking Seungmin’s hand and interlocking their fingers. He was honestly extremely surprised at Seungmin’s words, because he had never expected that he had hurt Seungmin this much. He didn’t know Seungmin felt this sad on the inside; usually Seungmin was put-together and confident and unapologetic, not… _ this_. Hyunjin couldn’t believe that this was all because of _ him_, because he had only considered his own hurt feelings without considering how Seungmin might feel. 

“No matter what?” Seungmin asked softly, turning his face to look at Hyunjin as if contemplating whether to say whatever was on his mind. 

“No matter what,” Hyunjin said, using his free hand to wipe the tears from Seungmin’s face. Any other time, Hyunjin would have thought it to be too domestic, but at the moment he didn’t really care. All he could think about was that he’d do anything to make Seungmin feel a little better; his own feelings could wait. Guilt enveloped his heart; he felt selfish for what he’d done, because he should have supported him from the beginning if it meant Seungmin would be happy. 

“Even if I told you I didn’t tell you the truth two years ago?” Seungmin said suddenly, and Hyunjin’s fingers paused on Seungmin’s cheeks as he looked at him curiously. “Even if I told you what I said was wrong, and that I never liked Yeji at all?” He said a little shakily, as if building up the courage to say something. “Even if I told you that I liked _ you _the whole time, and that I still do?”

. . .

_ Seungmin _

Seungmin looked at Hyunjin, waiting for any sort of answer but not getting any. The older boy was simply staring at him, his mouth agape. Seungmin was beginning to regret what he’d said, but he decided he might as well explain it all since he’d already said it. “Do you remember how I told you that whenever I was around you both, I would get all sweaty and red and my heart would race really fast? I automatically assumed that it was because of _ Yeji_, because it was the only thing that made sense in my mind. I never considered the possibility that I might like boys, that everything I felt was because of _ you_. 

“So I told you that I liked her, because it was what I thought. And then… everything happened between us,” he said with a sniffle, holding back tears. “Later, when it would just be her and I, I never… I never felt anything. No redness, no sweating, no crazy heart palpitations. I didn’t know what it meant, but I ignored it. Well, I ignored it until you came over the other day.

“I felt it all over again. The sweating, the redness, the blushing, the fast heartbeat, _ everything_. And then… that’s when I realized I had been wrong all along,” he concluded, tears welling up in his eyes. “I like… no, _ love _ you,” Seungmin whispered, his cheek feeling warm where Hyunjin’s hand was resting. Hyunjin still didn’t say anything, and Seungmin could feel the pain growing in his heart. “You have every right to hate me,” he said almost inaudibly, his eyes looking away from Hyunjin’s. “I already hate me,” he whispered.

Seungmin expected Hyunjin to yell at him or get up and leave and never talk to him again, but he didn’t expect Hyunjin to push him down on the bed and pin his arms above his head before kissing him. Seungmin’s eyes went wide, but they eventually closed as he melted into the kiss. Seungmin’s heart was pounding wildly, his face was heating up and his heart was racing a mile a minute. When Hyunjin pulled away, he simply stared down at Seungmin as if comprehending what he’d just done. “Wow,” was all he said, and Seungmin’s face bloomed red at the word. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” he mumbled, pressing kisses to Seungmin’s jaw and cheeks and making Seungmin giggle under the contact. “I love you more than you can ever imagine,” he said a little breathlessly. 

“You’re… not mad at me?” Seungmin couldn’t help but ask, because all this time he had been so worried of Hyunjin hating him, and he still couldn’t believe that Hyunjin loved him. 

“No. How could I be? The boy I love loves me too, so how could I be mad?” Hyunjin said, falling down next to Seungmin and lying next to him. “Besides, I can’t get mad at you for making a mistake. I made a mistake, too,” he said softly, making Seungmin turn his head to look at him. “I lied to you. I didn’t avoid you because you were my ex-best friend who had a crush on my sister. I avoided you because I was jealous that it wasn’t _ me _ you liked. I thought if we were apart, I’d be able to get over it. But when I went to your house the other day, I realized that I hadn’t,” he mumbled, a blush spreading over his cheeks. “That’s why it hurt more when I saw you and Yeji together, and why I didn’t come over when you asked me to. I hurt you, Minnie, and that was _ my _mistake,” he finished, lacing their fingers together and pressing his forehead against Seungmin’s. “I just wish we had noticed how we felt about each other earlier,” he said with a groan as he buried his face in Seungmin’s neck. 

Seungmin let out a little laugh at that, smiling as Hyunjin pressed kisses to his neck. “Well, we know _ now,_ don’t we? And that’s all that matters,” he said softly, brushing stray hair out of Hyunjin’s face. He cupped Hyunjin’s cheeks and lifted his face towards himself, gently pressing a kiss to his lips. That seemed to spark a fire in Hyunjin, and once again Hyunjin was on top of Seungmin, kissing the life out of him. Seungmin took the action happily, wrapping his arms around Hyunjin’s neck and pulling him closer as Hyunjin slipped his tongue into Seungmin’s mouth. Seungmin let out a small noise of pleasure at that, and Hyunjin smirked against his lips before biting down on his lower lip gently. Seungmin whined a little when Hyunjin pulled away, but he bit his lip when Hyunjin went to his neck and started kissing and sucking the skin. “Wait, Jinnie, it’ll show-” He gasped out.

“Don’t care,” Hyunjin mumbled huskily, leaving reddish-purple marks all over Seungmin’s neck and making the younger male blush at his tone. Hyunjin went back to Seungmin’s lips to kiss him, making Seungmin melt into his arms and wrap his legs around the older’s waist. Hyunjin let a single hand drift to the bottom of Seungmin’s shirt, sneaking underneath it to run his hand over the soft, honey skin and letting it drift lower, lower, _ lower- _

When _ Yeji _stormed into the room, pushing the door open and stalking in. “Hey Min, I’m here to cheer you u-” She fell silent when she saw the two of them, her mouth going agape with disgust. “About time,” she said with a roll of her eyes before turning around and exiting the room. “Use protection, kids!”

_"Yeji!"_ Hyunjin screeched, his face red from embarrassment as he scurried out of Seungmin’s grasp and off of the bed, collecting himself before running after Yeji (who was amusedly laughing). Seungmin watched in amusement as a few minutes later Yeji came running into his room, still laughing while Hyunjin ran after her. “_Get back here! _”

“Come get me, _ weakling_,” Yeji said with a smirk, gesturing for him to come closer with her fists up. Seungmin could only laugh as Hyunjin and Yeji began fighting like old times, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel happy seeing things the same as the way they used to be. 

But, Seungmin thought as he got up to intervene, he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

_ [ fin. ] _

**Author's Note:**

> hwang yeji best girl


End file.
